I'm on exactly the same page as Jean is re William Gelling & Margaret Kneen and their son Thomas 1800 possibly being the one who married Elizabeth Craine. Maybe there will be a breakthrough with another will, an MI or special insight that perhaps somebody else has.

I was looking at the 2 census's with William Gelling the tailor, and wondered why Catherine is there in 1851 and not in 1841. It occurred to me that perhaps he was a widower in 1841 and got married before 1851.

That got me looking again at the 26 Oct 1841 Braddan marriage of William Gelling & Catharine Kewley. William Gelling (shoemaker) and Catharine Kewley are my g-g-grandparents, and they had children starting 1834 in Liverpool and ending 1852. The 1841 marriage comes in the middle, between child #5 and #6. No other marriage has turned up, so far. But that date really bothers me.

I have a letter dated 18 Oct 1977 from Janet Narasimham, genealogist, who I had hired to help me get started in this wonderful hobby. At the time, I was frustrated because I couldn't find a marriage for William & Catharine or for Catharine's brother John Kewley and Margaret Taggart. She wrote: "While searching for the marriage of John Kewley and Margaret Taggart I encountered an entry which, if it is a coincidence, is a very big one. Braddan 26.10.1841 William Gelling, widower and Cath Kewley, witnesses John Gelling, William Cubbon and Matilda Cubbon."

So, for 32 years I've been looking for the first wife of my William Gelling, and wondering why he waited so long to marry Catharine. My mind conjured up things like running off with Catharine and abandoning the first one, etc etc.

Now I'm starting to wonder. Could this 1841 marriage be the William of this thread (a tailor)? And if so, shouldn't there be a Catharine Kewley in the 1841 census. I didn't do very well with that one, though. Chasing William Cubbon and Matilda (Hanby - md 13 May 1835 Br) didn't lead to much though William was a shoemaker, the occupation of my William. And the other witness, well, everybody has a John Gelling.

I still don't have a marriage for John Kewley & Margaret Taggart, who's children start in 1833, and are at Factory Lane Douglas in 1841 & 1851. Perhaps both couples married in Liverpool ca 1832, and the two marriages haven't turned up yet in any published records?

This could be a red herring. I just don't know.